Care Design 2016

Quality improvement and six sigma methods are foundational for re-engineering healthcare systems to improve performance. However, these methods were not designed for creating open innovation health enterprises that are essential for addressing the leadership and cultural complexities of:

Reversing the epidemics of unhealthy habits

Preventing premature deaths and diseases

Reducing the mounting burdens of chronic diseases

Adding good-years-to-life despite chronic diseases

Identify the Deep Root Causes

The translational research paradigm (integrate evidence into practice) is inadequate for managing these complex (or so-called “wicked") problems. This translational research process will take too long to reverse these problems. Scientific mindsets and methods are also slow to change in addressing the lifestyle problems that are killing us.

Here is one example of how slow medical mindsets are to change. Despite emerging evidence, it took 25 years before the medical professional stopped X-raying women during pregnancy to reduce radiation-induced cancer in childhood.

Medical Mindsets Are Slow to Change.

People are slow to change their mindsets too. Politicians are too slow to change their mindsets. Leadership mindsets are too slow to change in addressing the major lifestyle problems that are killing us and our planet.

Our Mindsets are the Deep Root Problem

Mindsets are the rate-determining step for transforming our toxic cultures into health-promoting ones. Most people are in denial or unaware of how the Standard American Diet (SAD = excess intakes of calories, refined sugar, saturated fats, meat and processed foods) are killing us. Many children and college students simply are illiterate in preparing whole food meals. They simply do not know how to cook. These deficiencies have given rise to culinary andlifestyle medicine curricula.

The SAD Kills More People than Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Combined.
Change Our Environment, Our Culture and Ourselves